Just Call It the Flying Ferrari

Jan Morgan

10/01/2003

The Italians have long been known to blend form, function, and emotion into nearly everything that they manufacture. The style, passion, and romance exemplified by the country’s automotive manufacturers extend to their aircraft industry as well. Often called a flying Ferrari, the Siai Marchetti SF260 offers a unique combination of beauty, high cruise speed, acrobatic capability, and superlative flying qualities.

Designed by engineer Stelio Frati, the three-passenger SF260 was first flown in 1964. This classic design, powered by a 260-hp Lycoming 540-cu-in 6-cylinder engine, has been adopted for military flight training and tactical support by more than 20 countries. Still in production nearly 40 years after its first flight, the SF260 remains a preferred military primary training aircraft and maintains a reputation as one of the finest handling aircraft ever built.

Rare and not commonly seen on the ramps of our local airdromes, civilian models of the SF260A through D are highly prized by their owners. Adding to this small fleet are a few converted ex-military SF260W models (W for Warrior) that migrated to the United States after they were rotated out of service and snapped up by performance-starved American pilots with bad cases of warbird fever.

The SF260TP (turboprop), featuring a more powerful 350-hp, American-built Allison 250-17D turbine engine, was introduced in 1983. Utilizing the classic SF260 airframe, this two-seat version affords flight trainees experience in the management of the turbine engines used in most military aircraft. Built strictly for military customers, very few of these kerosene burners are in private hands. (Click image to enlarge)
Mike Patlin, longtime SF260 owner and proprietor of Airpower, has obtained a handful of SF260TPs from the air force of the United Arab Emirates. These aircraft were acquired in excellent condition, and after being demilitarized—their guns, bombs, rockets, and support systems have been removed—the aircraft were inspected, refurbished, and certified for civilian use in the United States.

“If it looks right, it works right” is the mantra of pilots and aeronautical engineers. From its sliding canopy and control sticks to its swept-back tail and thin, jet-type wings, the SF260 leaves no doubt about its speed and maneuverability. A superb quality of construction features thick, flush-riveted, butt-fitted skins and a high structural density common to military jets.

Although armed with substantial piston-powered Marchetti SF260 flight time, I encountered a steep learning curve with my introduction to N260TP, Airpower’s demonstration aircraft. Most of this centered on the operation of the Allison turbine engine, as well as the turboprop’s more complex fuel system, engine instrumentation, and flight controls.

Just sitting in the turboprop Marchetti is a treat. The panel is low, and the canopy offers extraordinary visibility. The control stick and throttle quadrant are readily at hand; the flight controls are super smooth and friction free. Shorter pilots will appreciate the ideal seat height and pedal position. Taller pilots will appreciate the long seat travel of the accommodating SF260 cockpit. (Click image to enlarge)


Intended to introduce pilots to single-seat fighters, most SF260s seat the pilot on the right side of the aircraft, providing a cockpit configuration of right-hand stick and left-hand power lever customary to the type. The flight instructor’s seat on the left features a separate left-hand power lever and a second set of flight instruments. The seats are designed to accommodate parachutes, and emergency canopy release levers are at both seating positions. The interior finish is military. Carpets and leather may be added should the owner prefer more opulent surroundings.
Daytona “chairs” and prancing horse mats, perhaps?

With two tachometers and a torque meter reading in percent, along with a turbine outlet temperature (TOT) gauge that must be monitored throughout the starting procedure, turbine start-up is a little more complex than that of the piston-powered version. Press the starter button until the N1 rpm indicates 15 percent, then advance the condition lever, which controls the fuel delivery, fully forward while monitoring the engine’s TOT. The sound changes from a whine to that of a home furnace firing up. Keep the starter engaged until the N1 hits 58 percent. A rise in temperature, torque, and N2 rpm, along with that turbine shriek of the Allison, indicates that the engine is running.

Ideally, the TOT will not exceed 927 degrees during the start-up. If that should happen, then the start is aborted. The numbers, 927 degrees and 58 percent, are agonizingly specific, indicating the sort of precision that is required of military flight candidates in the handling of their aircraft. Although the starting procedure sounds complicated, I found that a short time with the operations manual brought everything into sharp focus.
Once a turbine is running, it tends to stay running, so a terse, pre-takeoff check of the systems is all that is necessary. The turbine Marchetti has rudder and aileron trim to counteract the extra torque of the Allison and to correct wing-heavy situations due to wing-mounted stores, or fuel imbalances, and these must be set for takeoff.

On the runway, the SF260TP accelerates hard as the 350 horses are called into play. Rotation occurs at 65 knots, followed by gear retraction as the aircraft accelerates in ground effect flight. Flaps are retracted at 80 knots, and in about two seconds, the 110-knot best rate of climb is attained, and a 2,500-fpm (feet-per-minute) climb is established. Lowering the nose for better visibility gave 130 knots, with a respectable 1,500-fpm rate of climb.

Once clear of the airport traffic area, the fun begins. The 260TP cruises about 40 knots faster than its piston brother, and the additional speed lends the controls a somewhat heavier feel than the standard SF260. All Marchetti pilots feel as though they are flying a military jet, and the Allison enhances the feeling with the smooth, vibration-free thrust of the turboprop engine.

The flying qualities of the aircraft are impeccable. Built for the hard use encountered in ACM (air combat maneuvers), the Marchetti feels as though it were carved from a solid block of aluminum. With its high wing loading, it knifes through turbulence without the float of other light aircraft. While most light aircraft must slow down for rough air, the Marchetti attacks severe turbulence at its maximum structural cruising speed of 185 knots.
The control forces are ideal, the response and feedback so precise that the aircraft becomes an extension of the pilot’s will. The thin jet-type wing and aileron servo tabs generate sharp, solid responses to the controls. Taking the Marchetti to the limit becomes intuitive, and it gives plenty of warning before it departs the flight envelope.

Cruise speed can be flight planned at about 250 knots true. Turbine engines are more efficient at higher altitudes, as are the faster true airspeeds, and long cross-country flights will have to be planned at altitudes requiring oxygen. With only 68 gallons of usable fuel, the quick little SF260TP has only a two-hour range, but that actually works out to about 400 nautical miles at the higher, more economical altitudes. Of course, in practical terms, it means that an SF260TP can make a fast trip from Santa Monica to Monterey, Las Vegas, or Phoenix on its available fuel.

Having flown both the reciprocating and turbine SF260 aircraft, I understand the dilemma facing a prospective Marchetti owner: Which SF260? The piston-powered aircraft has about twice the endurance and half again more range. Though slower, it is still among the fastest piston singles available, with that aerobatic advantage. The turbine Marchetti is faster, but shorter in range, with a heftier feel to the controls. It does have that turbine whine, that smell of burning Jet A fuel and all that vibration-free power. And while all Marchettis are rare, there is the added allure of knowing that only a handful of turboprops are in civilian hands.

In this case, there is no wrong decision. The ownership of any SF260 rewards the pilot with every flight, and whichever SF260 a pilot picks is certainly the best choice.

Airpower, 805.499.0307, www.airpower-aviation.com